A crowd on Germantown Avenue for the GAD Festival. (Photo: Pryce Jamison.)

For Founder and Executive Director of the Germantown Arts District (GAD), Kristen Clark, holding the second annual Germantown Arts District Festival was an opportunity to build an even closer bond between the artists of the community and the ones who come out to spectate.

“The intention behind it is so that people can consume art, but can also participate in it,” Clark said. “We ask our vendors to be as interactive as possible, not only inviting folks into their creative processes, but into the process of why it is that they do what they do.”

Last Saturday’s vendor-filled event, held on Germantown Avenue and spanning from Coulter to Armat Streets from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., provided a space for artists and organizations to put their brands on display, while bringing the community face-to-face with artistic disciplines.

“The festival is an interactive arts festival, and what makes us stand apart is our creative zones,” Clark said. “We collaborated with different curators for each of those zones.”

The Textile Zone, sponsored by Gaffney Fabrics, brought visitors closer to the large abundance of fabrics with different textile vendors, as well as artists doing live crocheting. While in the Youth Zone, the co-Director of the Natural Creativity Center, Krystal Dillard, curated a space where children and families could engage in hands-on activities while learning about local youth programs.

Dillard invited Brooklyn Robot Foundry into the space to help children and families to build moving robots with numerous art supplies, as she also brought in two face painters.

“I’m seeing a lot more events in Germantown like this,” Dillard said. “I love seeing young people come out, families come out, and other non-profits, and the more we do events like this, the more we get to know what other people in the community are doing.”

Immortal Vision Studios curated the Photography Zone, where they advertised camera cleaning kits and offered free camera cleaning demonstrations, while setting up a photo wall and providing tutorials and information on camera operation.

Filmmaker and founder of Pearl’s Girl Productions, Eboni Zamani, curated the Film Zone in collaboration with media production companies, Ten01 Media and 5010 Productions, and set up a large, dark tent where folks could immerse themselves in different genres of film and web series.

Visitors who participated in the ‘choose your own adventure’ period had the option to choose from different films and web series produced by each of the collaborating production companies and independent filmmakers. There, they immersed themselves in the different stories on multiple laptops that were set up.

There was also a more traditional film screening set up on a projector in the tent, and folks could even engage in a storyboard creation activity, with Clark mentioning that they also did “proper film training.”

“I wanted it so that no matter what you were into artistically, you had something to do and you had something that you could create or be a part of,” Clark said. “That’s the real ethos of the GAD festival, is making sure that you leave knowing that you created something, and building community while doing so.”

There was also a community mural designed and crafted by notable mural artist Oluwafemi. The HBCU Zone, hosted by the Atlanta University Collective, provided info about creative opportunities at the collegiate level and other resources for higher education.

The Open Mic Zone, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., led by R&B band Rico Anderson and the Ruffneckz, was a space where spectators could stop and watch various community members step to the mic and put their talents on display.

“The open mic was the surprise hit of the festival,” Clark said. “We hoped the open mic was going to be great with people signing up, but it was a bunch of folks that didn’t sign up, who showed up and absolutely killed it.”

At 3:00 p.m., the main concert of the event on the hulking stage near Armat Street, curated by SCH entertainment, commenced and allowed artists to rock the stage in front of an engaged crowd.

The star-studded concert line-up consisted of notable Philadelphia artists, King Khalih, Chill Moody, Suzann Christine, Ria4Reel, Amir Ali, Jamicka Bass, and Aquildawud.

“Artists work really hard, and it’s not easy to get on stage to pour your heart out and be vulnerable,” Clark said. “Between the main stage and the open mic, a lot of people got the opportunity to do exactly that, making connections and building relationships with people in Germantown.”

Alongside the different zones and performances, there were numerous vendors with clothing, artwork, accessories, hand-crafted jewelry, skin care, and food & beverages.

Painter and clothing designer, Imani Harris, had her canvas paintings on display alongside the shirts, glasses, purses, and hats on which she paints different designs. With her brand, PISHPOSH, she voiced how she’s been trying to elevate her brand, seek more partnerships, and expand her artwork. 

“I love doing pop-ups at different events, whether it’s festivals, mini-markets, or flea markets, because I’m always meeting new faces to introduce the brand to,” she added. “There’s a lot of people I haven’t reached yet, so I’m always happy to meet different people.”

Stacey Pearl and her skin care brand, Stacey Pearl Skin Science, were also on full display with her plant-based products designed for melanated skin, which she professionally developed in France with engineers. 

As a West Oak Lane native tabling at the event, with a shop location in West Philly, she now gets the chance to return to a near-home neighborhood to show off what she’s been displaying elsewhere.

“My local community doesn’t know, so when we do events like this, it gives me the opportunity to put the brand out there and let them know that we exist, we’re here, and I’m bringing this from France all the way to Philly,” Pearl said.

Clark lives to highlight creative entrepreneurs, but also emphasized that “It’s not just about supporting vendors and buying things. That’s a huge portion of what the festival is, but the other portion is engaging with people, engaging with yourself, and making something that brings you joy.”

Film Zone lead, Zamani, is familiar with large, interactive festivals in other parts of the city, and says that GAD is filling a need in the area.

“We really do need this in Germantown; we never really had this type of thing on our side of the city, so it’s great to see it grow, and I want to continue to see it expand,” she said.

“I really hope that she eventually gets to maybe go all the way up to Washington Lane and Mt. Airy and then come all the way down, because there’s so many amazing local businesses, artists, and arts organizations along Germantown Avenue.”

Clark mentioned that she and GAD will soon start to gear up to organize and recruit vendors and artists for the next festival in 2026. For updates on next year’s event and ways to get involved, stay tuned to GAD updates on its Instagram and website.